


A Merry Little Christmas

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You [9]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action, Christmas, F/M, Romance, Series, Smut, Soul Bond, Telepathic Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:27:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27949811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEThe Doctor & Rose travel to 2102 to celebrate Christmas in a Winter Wonderland. They learn that people have begun to freeze from the inside out, and the Doctor and Rose quickly realize they have a mystery to solve that threatens the human race. Christmas fluff, action, and romance.“You’re supposed to roll it!” Rose shouted at him as he just sort of squished the snow together.“I have over 900 years experience building a snowman, thank you very much!” he teased, and she rolled her eyes.“Yeah, on other planets, Doctor. For all I know the snowmen in other universes get up and help you,” she joked, flashing him her tongue and cheek smile. He cocked an eyebrow at her.“So what if they did?” he asked.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030980
Comments: 11
Kudos: 144





	1. Winter Wonderland

He never cared much for Christmas.

He thought about that as the TARDIS finished its dematerialization sequence. All the orbs had regrown and she was practically a brand new ship. The events with the projection of his mother were three months past, and if the Doctor had to pick one word to describe how life had been since then, it would be ‘picturesque.’ 

While there had been lots of adventures and scuffles, nothing had been life-threatening or universe-ending, and the Doctor and Rose were merely falling more in love with each passing day, doing their absolute best to live in the here and now. 

He knew his insecurities would never completely go away, and if he _really_ allowed himself to think about it, he was still undeniably haunted at the future loss of his favorite human. But Jack’s search for a rift was coming back negative each time the Doctor checked in, and so were the upgraded TARDIS’s scans, so he was starting to trust that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay. 

Maybe.

If nothing else, he had a little hope. 

And that was a lot for the Doctor. For him, hope died along with Gallifrey. But it was reborn with a pink and yellow and now gold human. His Rose. 

He hadn’t told her about the script that said ‘Bad Wolf’ on his clock, he didn’t want to get her hopes up too, not until he met the projection again and understood more about whatever plan his parents had in place. He knew he would only see those projections if he followed the right timeline, and he was slowly becoming convinced that timeline involved Rose, just like she had suspected. 

Today, it was Christmas Eve. They had plans to go visit Jackie, Pete, and Tony tomorrow, but he had a brilliant surprise for her first. 

She came bounding into the console room wearing a blue turtleneck and a tan peacoat that complimented his trenchcoat, and he smiled brilliantly at her. Her blonde hair had grown some since that night in 2056, over six months ago, and was pushed off to her right shoulder, resting just above her chest. She wore soft pink lipstick and black jeans, and he noticed she was clad with her favorite pair of warm hiking boots. Perfect for relaxing and running alike. Because… you know. 

“You look perfect,” he told her. She smiled and whipped out her gloves, sliding them on. 

“I figured it might be cold,” she said. The peacoat shifted a little as she adjusted the gloves, and his hearts skipped a beat. She hadn’t taken his clock off her neck since he gave it to her, and it was just another reminder of what he hoped would be. 

It made him a little giddy. And aroused. 

“Oh yes, will most definitely be cold,” he said, moving to her. “But I can always regulate my body temperature if you need extra warmth.” 

She smiled as he captured her lips in a kiss, and he slid a hand up to the necklace, brushing it ever so slightly. Their heart bond sent a wave of warmth through both of their bodies, and Rose deepened the kiss, her hands twisting in his hair. 

“Merry Christmas, Rose,” he whispered. 

“Merry Christmas, Doctor.” 

He grabbed her hand and they walked out the door, into a snowy winter wonderland. 

“It’s the city many think to be the North Pole. In the future, that is,” he told her, a solid grin on his face at the shocked expression she shot him. 

“Santa?” she asked, and he burst into laughter from the innocence of the question. 

“That would be brilliant, wouldn’t it?” he mused, treading through the snow with her. It was biting cold, but a village sat in front of them with sparkling lights and snow covered trees and buildings, and they could smell gingerbread and cocoa. 

“Is this Earth?” Rose asked. The Doctor nodded. 

“Indeed. About a hundred years in your future, year 2102. This is a small town in Alaska,” he said. “Fancy something warm to drink?” 

“Absolutely,” she said, leaning into his arm as they continued to move through the thick snow. 

A kind old woman with curly hair greeted them as they walked into a bakery, and Rose groaned from the intoxicating smell of fresh baked treats and coffee. The Doctor smirked, and ordered two hot cocoas and a gingerbread biscuit to split. 

“You two coming to our holiday party tomorrow night? There will be lights and music and cocoa and dancing!” she told them. The Doctor grinned. 

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he said. 

They enjoyed their snack and marveled at the beauty that was all around them. Up on a hill, a group of kids were building snowmen, and they sat on a bench and watched, Rose’s head leaning against his shoulder as she sipped her chocolate. 

“My granddaughter, Susan, built a Snow _Dragon_ once,” he said. Rose felt her heart stop. He hadn’t talked about his family since that night three months ago, and she honestly never expected him to ever tell her about his kids or grandkids. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the added pain giving them up had caused him. She swallowed her sip slowly and tried not to let him feel her increased heart rate through their rings, and just took a deep breath. 

“Yeah?” she asked. The Doctor nodded. 

“She used a Gallifreyan lava stone to create smoke from its mouth and nostrils,” he said. “She was brilliant.” 

“I bet,” Rose said, smiling at him. He smiled back. 

“She traveled with me for a bit, before the war.” 

“She did?” Rose said. He didn’t say anything else, but his hand found her thigh and he squeezed, a silent thank you for listening and not pressing him for more. Rose settled back into his side, and after a few moments she felt a smile tug at her cheeks. “You want to go build a snowman, don’t you?” 

“Oh, yes,” he told her, and they held hands as they raced up the hill, kicking snow behind them. The Doctor held on tight to Rose, trying to keep her from slipping, and soon they found an empty patch of fresh fallen snow, and they began to push it together. 

“You’re supposed to roll it!” Rose shouted at him as he just sort of squished the snow together. 

“I have over 900 years experience building a snowman, thank you very much!” he teased, and she rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, on other planets, Doctor. For all I know the snowmen in other universes get up and help you,” she joked, flashing him her tongue and cheek smile. He cocked an eyebrow at her. 

“So what if they did?” he asked. 

They both knew what the other was thinking, and there was a moment of hesitancy, as they each waited to see who would break first. Rose ducked just as the Doctor threw his snowball at her. 

She aimed and fired back, and eventually they were in a full blown fight. The kids who were building around them got involved too, and it was a joyous and amazing battle of laughter and snow. Rose was hit in the face, and coughed from the impact, and the Doctor was hit straight in the stomach. He dramatically collapsed to the ground, surrendering, and the kids who hit him began cheering and giving each other high fives. 

Rose felt an unexpected lump in her throat watching him play with the kids, but she quickly pushed it down. She focused instead on laughing and helping him brush some snow off his shoulders from his pretend fall, and she smirked at him as she brushed it out of his hair. He feigned horror for his hairstyle, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him instead, catching her in a kiss. 

They heard the gags and “ewwws” from the kids, but it just fueled the Doctor more, who kissed her again. They pulled apart after a moment and Rose bit her lip. 

“You cold?” he asked. She nodded, reluctantly. “Come on.” 

He helped her up and grabbed her hand, regulating his temperature a little warmer than it usually was so he could help her a bit as they made their way to a bed and breakfast, The Candlelight Inn, at the end of the main road. 

The heat from the fireplace hit her like a warm blanket as the jingle of a bell sang in the room when the door opened. Rose was amazed that one hundred years later, the Inn pretty much looked like the ones she knew of from her own timeline. 

The Doctor smiled at her, rubbing her arms a bit for warmth, and gestured to the cozy sofa by the roaring fire, where she went to sit. “Be right back,” he said. 

She nodded, too cold to question where he was going, but he returned a few minutes later with a gold key. She raised her eyebrows at him. 

“What’s that?” she asked with a small smile. He gave her an amused expression. 

“You do realize we’re celebrating not only Christmas but six months of marriage? It’s a key. I got us a room,” he said. Rose felt her stomach flip and she wiggled her fingers out to him, pulling him down next to her on the couch. 

“I love you,” she said as her head leaned on his chest. 

“I love you, Rose,” he murmured, and kissed the top of her head. It was colder than ice. 

“Bloody hell,” he said, and whipped out his sonic screwdriver, not caring if anyone saw him, and scanned her. “Rose, warm bath. Now.” 

“What?” she asked. 

“ _Now,_ ” he said again, more firmly. She didn’t question him, but she followed him to their room as he wrapped his trench coat and scarf around her, using the sonic to call the lift faster than just waiting for it would take. 

“Doctor, I’m fine, I promise,” she said, but her teeth began to chatter. 

“You should have told me you were that cold, Rose,” he said bitterly. She shook her head. 

“I wasn’t that cold, I swear. This hit me once we got inside,” she said. Her lips were turning blue. The Doctor was trying not to panic, but as the lift doors opened on their floor he scooped her up and raced to their room. 

He didn’t bother with the key he took the time to obtain, he just soniced it (it was mostly metal, thankfully) and placed Rose on the bed, wrapping her in a throw blanket while he moved to run a bath. 

She was starting to feel _very_ cold. 

“Doctor, something is wrong,” she admitted, and he gave her a concerned look. 

“Come on,” he said, scooping her up again and bringing her into the bathroom. He tore her clothes off, a flash of pain crossing his face as she cried out at the sensation of the air touching her skin. “Get in, love.” 

If she was feeling better, she might notice this was the first time he used the endearment in private. But all she could think about was the warm water, and she bit her tongue to stop from sobbing as her feet, then calves, then thighs entered the bath. 

It felt like she was burning, but she knew it was just because of how cold she was. The Doctor helped her in, making sure she was submerged to her shoulders before he scanned her again. 

Her temperature was rising, but much slower than it should be. Her teeth were still chattering. 

Then she started to sweat. 

“What?” the Doctor gasped, his face contorted into complete concern now. He could feel her heartbeat through his ring, and it was like rapid fire. 

“D-d-d-oc-tor,” Rose said. 

He was full on panicking, but he didn’t want her to know it. 

“You’re going to be fine, you hear me? Fine,” he said. He ran the events of the last few hours in his head. 

It couldn’t have been the hot cocoa, because he had some too. 

He played in the snow, just as she did. 

He ate the biscuit, too. 

He ran his hand through his hair, and he decided to strip all of his clothes off as well and climb in with her, adjusting around her so she was tucked between his legs, her upper body pressed to his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He regulated his body temperature as high as he could safely make it, until he began to sweat as well. 

He felt her go limp in his arms. “Rose?!” he said, shaking her a little. When she didn’t respond he shifted, turning her face carefully toward his. “Rose, come on.” 

Her lips were solid blue, and he noticed the pulse in his ring was gone. His hearts were in his ears and his breathing became shallow as he felt for a pulse on her wrist. 

He jumped out of the bathtub and picked her up, ignoring the puddle he created on the floor as he laid her on the ground and immediately began CPR. 

Nothing was happening, and he felt hot tears spill over onto his cheek. It was everything he had been running from for so long, unfolding before him. He was so scared, but he knew there was one more thing he could try. He was utterly terrified to do it. Bad Wolf lived in her mind, and he had been so afraid for six months that attempting a deeper mental bond with Rose would fry her brain. Right now, she could only connect when the energy was activated, and he desperately wanted to keep it that way. To keep her safe. 

But now, it might be the only thing to save her. 

If he could warm her mind, he might be able to warm the rest of her, too. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, and he placed his hands on her temples, diving in. 

He was surprised to meet no resistance at all, and he let out a sigh of relief when he realized her brain was still active, which meant she was still alive. He plummeted deeper, a warm feeling beginning to settle in his mind and hearts, and he was met with a disarray of colors. There were shapes he couldn’t quite make out, but as he swam through the abyss, he found it. The Wolf that she showed him briefly in Atlantis. 

“Take me to her,” he said. The Wolf howled, and began to run. The Doctor chased after it, and it led him to a door, frozen solid in ice. Even through the thick cold layers, he could tell it was the door to the TARDIS. He clenched his jaw, and touched it, but nothing happened. He tried scanning it, but it stayed cold. He looked at the Wolf, who bowed its head. 

The Doctor turned back to the door, knowing that Rose was inside of it, and unsure of how much time he had to get it open. He’s a bloody Time Lord. How does he not know how much time is left? 

He focused on Rose. He sent a flurry of images toward the door. Memories he held dear to his hearts. 

_“Run!” he said, all ears and a leather jacket, grabbing her hand and pulling her away as the mannequin lowered its hand against the gas pipe. They ran, hand in hand, for the very first time._

The memory swelled, and mixed into another. 

_“Step out, it’s the year 12,005. The new roman empire,” he announced, still in his leather jacket._

_“Oh, you think you’re so impressive,” she said._

_“I am so impressive!”_

And another. 

_“Blimey,” he said, his big ears starting to turn red at the tips. Rose stared at him, dressed in a black and red Victorian dress and cape._

_“What?” she asked, biting her lip._

_“You look beautiful,” he let slip, then quickly tried to recover. “Considering.”_

He saw the ice start to melt, and he let out a shaky breath, focusing on sending her more memories. 

_“Am I...Ginger?” he asked her seriously, dressed in Jackie’s boyfriend’s pajamas._

_“No, you’re sort of just...brown,” she told him._

_“I wanted to be ginger! I’ve never been ginger!” he exclaimed, turning away from her._

The memories had only touched the top of the door, so he sent more powerful ones through. 

_He stood in an orange jumpsuit, staring into the pit with the Beast, her face the only thing flashing through his mind. “I’ve seen fake gods and bad gods and demigods and would-be gods; out of all that, out of the whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing...just one thing...I believe in her.”_

He sent one of his happiest memories straight toward the door next. 

_The TARDIS crashed on a beach, where Rose was waiting for him. It’s right side was on fire, the ship had put up quite the fight not to let the Doctor take her through that rift, and he had burned up an entire sun to come find her. The door shot open, and he ran out, his hair standing on edge and his pinstripes a little singed._

_She tripped over a rock standing in the middle of the shore on Darlig Ulv Standen, Bad Wolf Bay. She scraped her hand against the stone but she didn’t care, she was running, and he was running, and they crashed into each other just as a wave broke over the rocks, drenching his hair. He was trying not to cry, gripping her so close to him she could feel his double heartbeat reverberate through hers, and her arms were locked around his neck._

_“You found me,” she whispered._

_“I found you,” he whispered back._

The ice was halfway down the door, and he smiled. 

_The gift of Time in his suit, given to him by the Goddess of Love herself, was not about time travel. But about knowing when the time was right.  
_

_“I love you,” he said in her ear._

_The words stopped his hearts._

__

__

_He felt dizzy, and so incredibly vulnerable. She smiled against his chest.  
_

_“I love you, too. My Doctor.”_

The ice was almost gone. He realized he was crying, both in her mind and on the outside.  


_He was a lost soul. And she found him._  


Just then, the doors burst open, and a brilliant gold light shone through it, Rose standing in the middle. The room was warm, and she ran to the Doctor. He squinted against the intensity of the Vortex in her head, and before he realized what was happening, she jumped into his arms, and kissed him.  


The kiss made him dizzy, and he felt it as they both jumped back through the disarray of colors and shapes, until he dropped his hands from her temple and heard her gasp, back on the bathroom floor.  


It was music to his ears.  


“Rose!” he panted, and pulled her to him. He kissed her temple over and over and over, and she clung to him, and he could feel her heartbeat again in his ring. It made his throat tighten.  


“What...happened?” Rose asked breathlessly. The Doctor shook his head, cupping his hand to the back of her’s.  


“You froze...in your mind, you were frozen. It affected your body. Your heart stopped,” he whispered. “How is your head?”  


His voice was desperate, but Rose just smiled. “It’s great.”  


“Really?” he asked, searching her eyes for any semblance of pain or fogginess. She bit her lip.  


“Really,” she whispered. Her lips met his, and he moaned against them.  


They were both still very naked, weren’t they?  


He slid his hand down her waist and pulled her closer, before breaking the kiss.  


“I love you. So so much,” he said. “And believe me, all I want to do is make love to you right now, but you need to rest.” She nodded.  


“Later, yeah?” she asked, biting her lip.  


“Oh, yes,” he groaned, kissing her again.  


Her clothes were still quite wet and cold, so he brought her to the bed, where she wrapped herself up in the heavy blankets. He started a fire and flipped the telly on for her, kneeling on the side of the bed and brushing her hair out of her eyes.  


He pushed down the fears and insecurities that were knocking on his hearts, reminding him how close he was to losing her. He couldn’t wallow. Not now.  


“I love you,” he said. “I have to go investigate. What happened wasn’t natural, Rose.”  


“Just be safe, hm?” she murmured, exhaustion beginning to overtake her.  


“Yes sir,” he said. “Get some sleep. We may have an adventure on our hands, long as it won’t affect you again.”  


“Sounds like the best Christmas present ever,” she said softly, and he grinned.


	2. Christmas Bond

There was an ache in his head from where Rose’s presence was, but he pushed it aside. He rubbed his ring, and closed his eyes. He had their heart and soul bond, and he reminded himself that it would tell him if anything changed while she slept.  


If she needed him.  


It took everything inside of him to slip out of the room instead of staying and watching her; making sure she was breathing. He clenched his jaw as he wrapped his scarf back around his neck, opting for the stairs back down to the lobby.  


Nothing looked out of the ordinary as he looked around the room. The check in desk still had the same eager eyed man helping guests where they needed to go, the fire was still roaring. The Doctor took a deep breath.  


He could try to scan the fire, that’s where Rose was sitting when she started to feel hypothermic. He grew increasingly frustrated as he approached it, however.  


“Ah, wood. Brilliant,” he groaned under his breath.  


All he wanted for Christmas was a damn setting for wood.  


He sniffed, and walked out to the village. He scanned the snow in the area they were playing in, but it came back normal.  


“Oh, I’m gonna have to be rude, aren’t I?” he muttered to himself. His brow furrowed after he said it. Does he really talk this much? Normally Rose is with him so he doesn’t think about it, but this was the second time in just a few minutes he felt the need to voice his thoughts out loud.  


How Rose puts up with him he will never understand.  


He walked into the bakery, and the same woman from before was there.  


“Hello!” she greeted. “Back for more?”  


“Not exactly,” he said. “My wife got sick, and I’m wondering if I could possibly get a sample of the cocoa and gingerbread to test. I’m a doctor, I need to make sure there’s nothing she’s...allergic to.”  


“Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that,” she said with a grimace. “She’s not the only one. I’ve been hearing reports of lots of visitors getting ill. I’m thinking we need to shut down the village, frankly. I’ll go get some samples, take what you need.”  


“Thank you,” he said, a serious expression on his face. He mentally patted himself on the back for how he handled the exchange, however. Not nearly as rude as it had the potential to be. The woman walked back in a moment later with a cup of cocoa and a biscuit.  


“Here you are,” she said. “I really hope it isn’t our shop. We source all of our ingredients locally. All organic, very safe. We’ve never had an issue.””  


“What kind of illnesses do the other tourists you mentioned have?” the Doctor asked, taking the items from her.  


“Not sure. But they just sort of stop coming by. The Inn owners say they haven’t checked out, so they must be sick as a dog in their rooms,” she said. “I’ve been telling him to get a doctor to come by. He should have told you. Irresponsible.”  


The Doctor felt the knobs in his brain turning, much like the clock on Rose’s chest. He simply nodded.  


“Thank you,” he said, and stepped out of the shop.  


He quickly scanned the cocoa and biscuit, but they also came back normal.  


It must have something to do with that fire.  


He ran back to the TARDIS, his footprints trailing him in the snow. He threw the door open quickly and ran to the utility closet, searching for a pair of glasses he obtained from a planet a century or two back, that looks for alien abnormalities in natural elements.  


“See, this is why I say we keep everything!” he said out loud, and then rolled his eyes again.  


_She’s not here, you idiot._ the distinct northern voice rang in his head.  


He found them tucked into a box with his old sonic screwdrivers, and he left the closet door open as he raced back to the Inn as fast as his long Time Lord legs would carry him.  


They looked like regular reading glasses, so the Doctor just placed them on the bridge of his nose and sat by the fireplace, looking intently at the fire with his eyebrow raised in the deductive way he knows Rose adores.  


He missed her.  


For many minutes, the fire just glared back and warmed his cheeks, and he realized the fire had nothing to do with whatever was going on either.  


He leaned back into the chair, and removed the glasses with a sigh. He looked around the room, and took in the green garlands above the windows with round ornaments placed strategically on the entire frame. There was a Christmas tree tucked into the corner, faux presents tucked under it, and the wooden beams all around him were glazed with a snow paint that created a wintery affect.  


There was a lot more he could scan.  


He kept the glasses on, and pretended to be admiring the decor. The Inn’s owner was watching him. The eager eyed man whose name the Doctor couldn’t remember.  


“Can I help you?” he asked. The Doctor turned to him.  


“No,” he said softly, and continued to look back at the tree. The man frowned.  


“You seem rather intrigued,” he said. The Doctor shrugged.  


“My wife loves Christmas. I’m learning to,” he said with a small smile. The man nodded.  


“The blonde dame that came in with you?” he asked. The Doctor felt an alarm go off in his head. He turned to him, trying to keep his demeanor calm and easy going.  


“Indeed. Rose,” he said. “The lobby seems surprisingly empty for Christmas Eve.”  


“Ah, well… guests must be in their rooms,” he said. “Or out and about.”  


“Quite,” the Doctor said. His hands moved the candy jar on the desk, and he popped a peppermint into his mouth. “What’s your name again?”  


“Jerry,” he said.  


“I’m the Doctor,” he said. It was bait, and he watched as Jerry coughed and cleared his throat.  


“Doctor who?” he asked. The Doctor gave him a bored expression. He had gone nearly sixty years without that dumb question being thrown in his face.  


“Just the Doctor,” he said. “Well. Rose is feeling a little under the weather, s’pose I should get back.”  


And there it was. The shift in his eyes, the tightening of his Adam’s Apple. The Doctor noticed it all. Jerry was hiding something.  


“Hope she feels better,” he said. The Doctor nodded and took one last look around the room, scanning with his sonic, making a point to make sure Jerry saw it as he took the stairs back to where Rose was.  


She was still asleep when he walked in, and he was more grateful for their heart and soul bond than ever as he could feel her pulse in his ring. He kissed her forehead and moved her clothes by the fire now that they weren’t drenched, warming them.  


He was lost in thought for an hour when Rose finally stirred.  


“Hey,” she mumbled, turning to face him in the armchair by the window.  


“Hey,” he said. “How’re you feeling?”  


“Good,” she told him. “My head…”  


“What?” the Doctor said, immediately standing and moving to her, startled. She smiled.  


“Nothing bad, it..I think I miss...you. That make any sense?” she asked. The Doctor’s face shifted from worried to amazed, and he laid on the bed beside her.  


“It does,” he whispered. “Mine misses you, too.”  


“Yeah?” she asked, a wide smile on her face. He nodded. “I know you don’t want to try a bond, and I get that, I do. But if you ever change your mind, you’ll let me know?”  


He felt his throat tighten. She was fine. He scanned her with his screwdriver again, but the results were obvious just from looking at her. She was...perfect. He wanted to say screw it all and open his mind up to hers again more permanently, to always have an awareness of her in every sense of the word, but he just brushed his thumb to her cheek, gazing into her eyes.  


“Absolutely,” he murmured. She moved closer to him, she began to pepper kisses on his neck. He felt a shiver run down his spine.  


“I’m feeling better by the way,” she whispered against his skin. “And I’m well rested.”  


“That so?” he asked, a sound escaping his throat as she moved to take his tie off.  


“This is in my way,” she breathed, and he groaned a little, scooting toward her, closing the small gap that was still there.  


“Can’t have that,” the Doctor whispered. Rose shook her head.  


“Not on Christmas,” she said, kissing the spot under his ear that always curled his toes. “Or our sixth month anniversary,” she said, biting on his neck.  


Her lips moved to his, and he shifted so he was above her, his hand wrapped in her hair. She was trailing her tongue on his bottom lip, and her hands moved to his trenchcoat, tugging it off. It fell on the bed beside the Doctor, and soon he joined her under the blanket.  


He kissed her, and she wanted nothing more than to open her mind again. She had done it before when they made love, just once, with the Bad Wolf energy, and it had stayed at a very base level, but that had been a...difficult circumstance. 

Then again, he saved her today, didn’t he? Dove into her mind and thawed her frozen brain. 

She gasped as he molded into her, and gripped him closer. They had made it a habit of taking turns saving each other over the years, hadn’t they? 

“What’s wrong?” the Doctor asked, sensing her body stiffen against him. 

“Nothing, just overwhelmed for a second,” she said. He kissed her, stopping his movements, and looked into her eyes. 

“Wanna talk about it?” he asked. She smiled at him. 

“You know it all, already,” she whispered. Her eyes danced with his, and he saw them glow gold. It sent a fresh wave of need through his entire body, and he kissed her. 

_Is this okay?_ Rose asked. The Doctor clenched around her, wanting to say no, but it just felt so _damn_ good, and he reveled in it for a moment. 

_I’m worried. I know you seem fine, but your mind has been through a lot today, I don’t want to risk it. I’m sorry…_

Rose’s eyes returned to normal, and she nodded. 

“I love you, that’s all. How much I love you. It’s overwhelming,” she whispered. He smiled at her, his body slowly starting to sway with hers again. 

“Don’t I know it, Rose. That’s how I feel every damn day,” he said. She cried his name as he said this, and she caught a flash of what the Doctor did when he saved her. The memory burned at the front of her mind, the love he used to penetrate the ice’s hold on her. 

The Doctor gasped, and Rose cried out at the sensation. “Oh my, _god_ , “ she practically choked. “What was that?” 

The Doctor stared at her. “Mind bond…” he whispered. “Did you… you didn’t...:” 

“I’m sorry,” she said, mortified. “I didn’t mean to, I swear. You said no, I would never -” 

“Rose,” the Doctor whispered, catching her in a kiss. “Let me try something.” 

He began to sway, his body rocking into hers, and a wave of pleasure washed through him that he knew wasn’t his own. It triggered a sensation in his groin that Rose felt, and she gripped the sheet tightly as she slowly understood what was happening. 

The Doctor moaned, and he realized Rose’s mind could do it. It could keep up. Bad Wolf wouldn’t burn inside of her, but rather amplify the intensity of their connection. It was the key. Making it easier for her to learn, to guide him at times, and go deeper into his mind than...well, than anyone had if he was being honest.

She wasn’t Time Lady, but she sure as hell acted like it. 

“Can we… please… I can see it… you’ll be...okay…” he said, unable to finish the thoughts at the sensations he was feeling. 

“ _Please,_ ” Rose cried, her breath hitching. The Doctor opened his mind and Rose felt his hands on her temple, and soon the dizzying swirl of shapes and colors appeared, and Rose realized where she had seen them before. When the Siren infiltrated her mind on Atlantis. 

The colors swirled into memories and thoughts of how good they each felt. The Doctor could see every image of pleasure that passed through her mind and she could see his. 

She realized just how much he treasured her. 

He realized just how much she cherished him. 

It was overwhelming and inebriating, and they were both swimming in a thousand sensations. He dropped his hand from her face, and the bond lasted. Rose’s eyes glowed gold, holding the bond where it needed to be, and he knew in his hearts they were weaving together now in a way he never imagined they would. 

He still felt her heartbeat in his. Three separate bonds mixing together. Hearts, minds, and souls. 

They both felt the supernova burst around them, stardust falling onto their hearts against the falling snow outside. The Doctor pressed his lips to hers, and they both laid like that for many minutes, gasping and limbs completely entwined. They didn’t speak, unable to, for they had already said it all. Rose’s eyes flickered back to normal, but for the first time, she noticed a comforting hum in her mind, similar to the TARDIS, but deeper, and she knew it was him. 

After many moments, he finally shifted off of her, and pulled her to him. 

“We should work on blocks, so I’m not there all the time. But…” he whispered, and began to smile slightly. “Part of me suspects you might already be able to do that.” 

“Yeah?” she asked. The Doctor nodded. 

“Your Instincts,” he told her. She leaned against him, and sighed happily. 

“I love you,” she said. 

“I love you, too,” he said, a little more desperately than he intended to. 

She smiled against his bare chest, and tilted her head up to look at him. 

“Betcha didn’t expect this three Christmas’ ago, huh?” she teased. He looked at her with wide eyes, and she realized just how much what they just did meant to him. 

“Rose, “ he said, and he broke off. She could feel it though, the amazement and shock he was feeling. 

“Me too,” she whispered. 

“I know,” he said, and he grinned at her. A moment or two passed, and she smiled when he began to twist her wedding ring. He could get lost in the love he felt, but he could also sense a lingering question Rose wanted to ask, and he smiled. “Want to know how the investigation went?” 

“I’ve been dying to know,” she said, and they both started to laugh. 

Their relationship will truly only ever make sense to them, won’t it? 

The Doctor told her about the negative scans, the information from the bakery, and the shifty behavior from Jerry. 

“I love it when they get shifty,” Rose said. The Doctor found himself biting the inside of his cheek to stop from shoving his tongue down her throat. He was continually amazed by her. 

Not missing a beat, forever witty, even after this massive shift in her mind. 

“Are you deducting?” he said, moving to his side and resting his head against his hand. 

“I think I am,” she mused. He smiled at her. 

“It’s late. Christmas surprise case solving in the morning?” he asked. She hummed. 

“It’s perfect.”


	3. Presents & Discoveries

The next morning, Rose awoke and felt more...whole. That was the only word she could think of to describe it. She still felt that comforting hum in her mind, and it made her heart skip a beat. She looked over, and was shocked to see the Doctor still sleeping next to her. It must have taken a lot out of him as well, the bond, and she couldn’t stop herself from staring at him, watching how his eyes would dart quickly beneath his lids, or how his hair was tousled and still perfect against the pillow. 

Eventually his eyes fluttered open, and his hearts soared at the image of her already looking at him. The morning sun was spilling onto the bed right where Rose was, and he chuckled. 

“What?” she asked, smiling. 

“You and gold light. It’s my undoing,” he told her, catching her in a kiss. “Good morning.” 

“Merry Christmas,” she whispered. 

“Merry Christmas,” he said. They would still make it to Jackie’s, they had a time machine after all. A double Christmas. 

“I’ve been thinking,” she said, rubbing her lips together and pushing his hair back with her hand. “If the guests are in their rooms… what if they are frozen, too? Like I was?” 

The Doctor kissed the inside of her palm, nodding. 

“Yeah, I was thinking that, too,” he murmured. “It’s...probably too late for them.” 

“I know. But we should still check,” she said. 

“Come on, then. No rest for the weary,” he suggested. 

They took a shower and threw on their clothes from the day before, toasty and warmed the soft embers of the fire. The Doctor made sure to put the whole thing out as Rose wrapped her hair in a bun, showing off her signature hoop earrings, and they slowly made their way through the hallway of the Inn. The Doctor started by knocking on doors. 

No one was answering. 

He and Rose exchanged a glance, he soniced the door they were standing in front of, pushing it open slowly. 

The lights were off. 

“Hello?” Rose called. Neither stepped into the room, but they noticed it didn’t seem any colder than any normal room would. The Doctor stepped in front of her, holding his sonic screwdriver out and scanning the room. 

“There’s someone here,” he murmured. Rose flicked the switch on the wall and closed the door. 

A man was laying in bed, and his lips were blue. 

“Poor thing,” Rose whispered, kneeling beside him. The Doctor looked at him carefully, and touched his pulse. He felt colder than Rose had. 

“He’s gone,” the Doctor said. 

“Can you check his mind?” Rose asked. “You said my heart stopped and I was frozen but you pulled me back.”

He looked at her sadly. He shook his head. 

She looked back at the man and understood. He was only able to save her because of Bad Wolf. 

“Well, someone is looking for him. We can’t just leave him. And all the others,” Rose said. He felt a swell in his hearts as she spoke. His impossible and compassionate human. 

“Quite right,” he said. “Let’s look for some identification.” 

He began to search the room, but something was keeping Rose glued to the man’s side. She was looking at him, searching for some semblance of life that she logically knew wasn’t there. But her heart… 

Instincts. 

“Doctor, can I see the sonic?” she asked. He raised his eyebrow at her. He briefly remembered the last time she had asked that question. 

The first night they made love. 

_“I don’t give my sonic to anyone,” he had said._

_“I’m not anyone,” she said._

It was true then, and even more true now. 

He tossed it to her. 

She caught it without even looking at it and switched the settings. She began to scan. 

He watched, enamored with her, and she looked at him. “Brainwaves are active.” 

“What?!” the Doctor said, shocked. He took the screwdriver from her, and looked. Sure enough, all brain activity was still present and thriving. 

She gave him a sympathetic look, before turning her attention back to the man. “What does it mean?” she asked. The Doctor began to scan more, and he looked at her. 

“Of course!" the Doctor whispered. "Your pulse stopped but your mind was active. Suspended animation,” he murmured. 

“Will the brain eventually freeze too?” Rose asked. The Doctor clenched his jaw. 

“Not sure,” he said. “But his heart hasn’t been beating for two days and his mind is perfectly fine, so that’s a good sign.” 

“It’s like a spell,” Rose murmured. 

“Yes,” the Doctor said. “But science.” He grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes. 

They checked a few more rooms on their floor and found a similar situation. Nine other people, all frozen, all suspended in time. 

“They have to be part of some plan, yeah?” Rose asked as they closed the final door on their floor. The Doctor nodded. 

She was staring at him intently, and he felt a lump in his throat. He also felt that comforting hum in his mind, the way a mind bond works when it isn’t fully activated, the thing he had craved but been so afraid of, and he wanted to try something he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. 

He looked at her, and he sent a gentle nudge to her mind. 

She smiled, her eyes glowing gold as she let him in. He watched in amazement as the gold dissipated, and he still felt her. It flipped his stomach over in all the best ways. 

_Hello,_ he told her, catching her in a hug. 

Hello, she said back. 

_Let’s talk here for a bit, in case there are spies. Or Jerry is around the corner._

_Okay._

They moved toward the lift, and rode it down together. When they reached the lobby, Jerry wasn’t in sight, so the Doctor and Rose moved slowly by the tree, looking for anything out of the ordinary. 

_I’m going behind the counter, spot me?_ the Doctor said. Rose nodded. 

He jumped over the ledge and pulled his screwdriver out, scanning the shelves. Nothing was coming up, and he decided to try and hack the computer to see if there was any information in it. 

It didn’t take long, there weren’t very many firewalls or protections set up, and Rose was standing by the couch near the fire, when she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. 

_Doctor, something is here._

He looked up from the computer at her, his brow furrowed. 

_Tell me, I’m almost done scanning the server._

_It feels...cold._

He suddenly felt her shiver through their bond and he forgot about the computer entirely. He ran to her, but he let out a breath when her body temperature was still normal. He kissed her. 

_You scared me._

She gave him a soft side smile and looked up. She saw a small white bug buzzing around above their heads. 

“Doctor,” she said suddenly, and he looked up too. Quickly, without questioning it, he zapped it with his screwdriver and it fell to the floor limply. He kneeled down to it, and picked it up slowly. He reached for his specs with his other hand and threw them on. His face was confused, and then suddenly broke out into a brilliant smile. 

“Of course!’ he shouted, jumping up. “Ha!” 

“What is it?” Rose asked, peering over his shoulder at the small bug. 

“A robot, looks like,” he said. “Come on.” 

He grabbed her hand and placed the bot into his pocket, racing to the TARDIS through the freshly fallen snow. When they arrived, he ran to the lab as Rose made a quick snack, and she brought him a banana. He slowly ate it as he worked diligently. 

He carefully broke the small bot open, and found an intricate mechanism inside that connected all the pieces together. But there was a chip in the top corner that reminded him of the Sidekick, and he grabbed a pair of tweezers and gingerly separated it from the panel, holding it under a microscope. 

Engraved in small letters were two words: Ridgemont Entities. 

“Rose,” the Doctor said, waving her over with his hand. He swiveled to the side and she peered into the scope, and gasped. 

“Of course they’re behind this,” she muttered. The Doctor looked back down at the robot, and saw a small vial, the size of a fuse. He removed that as well, and there was a dizzying swirl of white and silver specks moving about the inside. “What is that?” Rose asked. 

“Not sure,” the Doctor said. “Think with me?” 

She couldn’t stop from smiling at him as he said this, once again reminded of just how far they’d come. Three years ago she tried to fight the Sycorax off with random space words she had picked up here and there, and now she shares a mind with him. 

“It’s not a blood deposit,” Rose mused. 

“No, but it could be something similar,” the Doctor said. “Grab some goggles, we’re going to break this open.” 

They sat side by side, and Rose held the vial in place as the Doctor tapped it with a small hammer, catching the material inside in a petri dish. He whipped out the sonic, and Rose suddenly felt cold. 

“Doctor, it’s that,” she warned. “The cold. It’s coming from that.” 

He looked at her, sensing her discomfort through their minds and hearts, and dropped the sonic on the table. He pulled her back from the robot, and when he went to release her hand he noticed for the very first time a small bite mark, like a spider bite, on the soft patch of skin between her thumb and pointer finger. He felt her forehead, and was once again relieved to see she was regulating normally. Bad Wolf must be protecting her. 

“What do you remember while I went to check us in to the Inn?” he asked. 

“Not much, I just felt a little cold from being outside, then all of a sudden it was unbearable,” she said. 

“Remember getting bit?” he asked, gesturing to her hand. She furrowed her brow. 

“No,” she said. Her face turned toward the broken robot. “I’m fine, go scan the dish.” 

He nodded, their bond still active enough for him to know she meant it. He realized, in that moment, though, it had diminished back to a comforting dull roar in his head, just a presence of _her_ \- the way an advanced bond should be, just as their heart bond is in his chest unless he focuses on increasing it, and he smiled at her. 

“What?” she asked. He shook his head. 

“I was right,” he hummed. “Do you realize you successfully built a wall around your mind without even thinking about it? All I feel is a dim awareness of you. Its…” he trailed off, licking his lips as he stared at her. 

“What?” she asked a little breathlessly. 

“Sexy,” he told her, his voice hoarse. She moaned. Something about _that_ word leaving _his_ mouth was too much. The first and only time she ever heard him say it was on this day three years back, and she kissed him. He almost opened his mind up to her, but she broke and pushed him back just a little. 

“We have to focus,” she whispered, teasing him with his favorite smile. He pouted for a moment, but kissed her once, teasing her back with his tongue just because he could, before he moved to flash his sonic over the white and silver specks. 

His mind was buzzing. Rose was at the forefront, until the scan told him what he needed to know. 

“It’s a chemical,” he said. “Not from Earth.” 

She moved a little closer to it, but not so close it would make her cold again. “Must go into the bloodstream from the bite, yeah?” 

The Doctor didn’t say anything, but he continued to scan and pull apart the bot, inspecting each section thoroughly. 

“Can you feed that to the TARDIS’s and do a search? The sooner we know where it’s from the better,” he said. 

Rose took the petri dish, ignoring the chill that ran down her back, and the Doctor was still looking at the circuiting of the robot. She watched intently as the TARDIS worked her scientific magic, and they had their answer. 

Arcadia. 

“Where’s that?” Rose asked, pointing to the screen. The Doctor looked up, and his eyebrow raised inquisitively. 

“Very far away,” he mused. “I don’t remember anything on Arcadia being this...intrusive. This is clearly meant for human blood.” 

“Genetically modified?” she asked. The Doctor smirked at her. 

“Exactly what I’m thinking,” he said. “We need to counteract it somehow. Wake them back up.” Rose leaned against the table, deducting. 

“Maybe Jerry works for Ridgemont Entities. A plant? They must need humans for something they’re planning…” she said, biting the corner of her thumb. 

“I think they need human brains, specifically,” the Doctor added. “Suspended animation would be the only way to ensure the brain would be untouched but the body would appear deceased.” 

“So they’re trying to write people off as dead, and then use their brains for another robot of some sort?” she asked, appalled. The Doctor gave her a solemn look. She took a deep breath. 

“Time to pay Jerry a visit, then” she said. She moved to the door, grabbing a scarf from their room before she waited by the door for him. 

“Rose, wait,” the Doctor said, just as she was about to open the front door. She stopped and turned to him, standing on the ramp, and cocked an eyebrow at him when she saw his hand was behind his back. “Merry Christmas.” 

He held out a sonic screwdriver from the collection he discovered earlier. One whose home had been a black leather jacket. 

Rose stared at it. 

“Really?” she whispered. He smiled at her. 

“I don’t know how you know all the settings, and believe me I will find out,” he said, teasing her, “But… well… now you won’t have to borrow mine all the time. You’re bloody brilliant. More than that, you’re _fantastic_ Rose. Better with two, we are. I think it’s high time you have one of these,” he said, and wrapped her hand around it. She felt a lump in her throat she couldn’t even try to swallow. He reminded her so much of his old self in this moment, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight to her. 

She knew exactly which incarnation of him held that screwdriver last, and it simultaneously broke and mended her heart all at the same time. She couldn’t speak, so she ran her hand through the back of his hair. Their lips met, and Rose allowed her mind to open so he could feel and see the gratitude she felt. The love and overwhelming joy. He groaned at the sensation, and his hands laced around her waist, holding her. Suddenly, she broke the kiss, biting her lip in embarrassment. 

“I didn’t get you anything, it’s at Mum’s!” Rose said sadly. He looked at her in amazement and cupped her face with his hands. 

“None of that,” he said. “Rose, what we did yesterday - you coming back to me, bonding with me, that is more than I could ever want. I thought I lost you, do you get that?” 

She didn’t say anything. She knew without words how much that fear shatters him. She bit her lip, knowing she could apologize, telling him she was so sorry for doing that to him, for scaring him that badly, but she didn’t. She could tell he wasn’t upset. He was grateful.

So instead, she raised the sonic screwdriver he just gave her, a near exact replica to the one he had, and pressed the light. 

She felt her breath catch as he pushed her against the door of the TARDIS, and kissed her. She kissed him back, hard. A spark of arousal flew from his mind to hers, and they both began to pant as they broke the kiss. “On second thought, give it back. I didn’t think this through. It’s going to be nearly impossible not to grab you and do something like this to you every time I see you using it. Impractical, is what it is.” 

She gasped but started to laugh, and she ended up flipping them around so he was pressed to the door, which made him smile wolfishly at her. 

“But there’s so much fun one can have with teasing. I _love_ the teasing,” she said saucily, her tongue in the corner of her mouth, before she pushed the door open and walked right past him, leaving him gaping and watching her body sway as she walked away. She turned, and wiggled her fingers out to him. “Allons-y, Doctor!” 

“Oh, now that’s not fair,” he whined, but slipped his hand into hers and ran with her.


	4. Merry & Bright

Jerry was standing by the counter when they walked through the door, the jingle of the bell welcoming them inside. He glanced up, and the Doctor saw his face pale when he realized Rose was beside him. 

“Can I help you?” he asked. Rose smirked. 

“What a greeting,” she said, chucking. “Merry Christmas, by the way.” 

“Sorry. Merry Christmas. Your husband told me you were feeling ill, I’m just…” Jerry began. 

“Surprised to see her?” the Doctor said, and Rose leaned her head against his shoulder. 

Jerry ignored him, “How are you liking the town? 

“Warming up to it,” Rose said. The Doctor looked at his feet to hide his smirk. 

_Nicely done,_ he thought. 

_Thank you._

They smiled at each other, and Jerry cleared his throat. 

“Good, good. Glad to hear it,” he said. “We’re closed today, for Christmas. So if you don’t need anything…” 

“Oh, but we do, Jer Bear! Alright if I call you that? Jer Bear - jeeeer beeeeeaaar, ah I love it, rolls right off the tongue,” he said, his voice flourishing as he took a step toward the man. He suddenly lost his flair, and spoke in a serious tone. “Tell us what is happening to the guests.” 

Jerry paused, stunned, and he began to shake his head in violent protest. 

“I don’t - I don’t know what -“ he said, and this time Rose stepped forward. 

“Oh shut it,” she said. “I almost froze from the inside out. We need to know what you know, got it?” 

Jerry frowned. 

“They warned me about you two,” he said. “You won’t make it out of here alive, not if I have anything to say about it.” 

They both burst out laughing. Rose began to pat the corner of her eye as a tear began to form, which only made her laugh harder. “So you do work for them, then?” the Doctor asked. 

“Who?” Jerry asked. 

“Ridgemont Entities,” Rose said. “Michelle Ridgemont was an...acquaintance.” 

“How do you even - she died fifty years ago, you can’t be more than twenty-five…” Jerry said, his brow furrowing in confusion. Rose smiled. 

“Thought you said they told you about us?” she asked. Her Instincts were out to play. She knew he was lying. 

“I…” Jerry began, and there was a moment of hesitancy on all three of their parts. He darted toward the phone but Rose and the Doctor held out their sonic screwdrivers half a second before he did, severing the line with a large burst of sparks. The Doctor gave her a wide grin. Jerry stared at them, and Rose stood calmly. 

“Talk,” she said. Jerry began to tremble. 

“I knew rumors of you. In reports...nothing was definitive. Some think you’re just the stuff of legends...but when I saw that sonic thing of your husband’s last night I knew…” Jerry said, his hands raised in surrender. “I’m just an aid. I’m not in charge.”

“In charge of what?” the Doctor asked. 

“They’re crafting the Sidekick 2.0,” Jerry said. The Doctor’s eyes met Rose’s. “We’re trying to make a prototype. I don’t know what the full plan is. Please don’t kill me!” 

“Why would we kill you?” Rose asked. 

“The reports...they said…” Jerry told them, breaking off. Rose understood. The report of the events of 2056 within their company said Rose and the Doctor were responsible for Michelle’s demise, not the Sidekick. 

The Doctor began to walk around the room. Every move he made caused Jerry to tremble more, and he watched him carefully. The Oncoming Storm. 

“Who is in charge?” the Doctor asked. 

“I don’t know his name. A large donor,” the man said. The Doctor sighed. 

“Convenient,” he said. Rose remembered the point of the fundraiser in 2056 was to fund the original Sidekick. Looks like they bypassed that entirely this time. 

“Why here?” Rose asked. “Alaska?” 

“It’s a very small town. A little off the grid, “ Jerry said. “Seemed less likely to cause alarm than trying to do this in London.” 

“For an aid you seem to know a lot,” the Doctor said. He moved to stand just a foot away from Jerry, who was crouching and trembling. “What else?” 

“They’re coming to pick up the bodies tomorrow morning,” he whispered shrilly. “For the prototype. I don’t know why they need them. I don’t know how it’s happening, and I sure as hell don’t know how she survived.” 

“I’m very clever,” the Doctor said. He moved to Jerry’s other side. “Anything else?” 

“I swear to you, I don’t know,” he said desperately. 

“I believe him,” Rose said. That was enough for the Doctor. He stepped back, and smiled. 

“Right, then! Here’s what we’re going to do. _You_ are going to go to sleep for a little bit while Rose and I work and then figure out what to do with you, got it?” he said. Before Jerry had a chance to ask more, the Doctor shocked him with his sonic screwdriver, and the electrical pulsation knocked him out cold. 

“Do we just leave him here?” Rose asked. The Doctor grabbed his arms. 

“Take his feet!” he said, and Rose sighed. 

“Why do I have to hold his feet?” she groaned. 

“Trust me, his hands aren’t any better. They’re clammy, ugh, Rose, clammy! I hate that word!” he whined, shuffling with her behind the counter, dropping Jerry off with a thud. The Doctor wiped his hands off on his trousers with a disgusted expression, his tongue sticking in and out of his mouth as he tried to wipe the word ‘clammy’ from his lips as well. Rose just looked at him, amused. 

“Big baby,” she said. He raised an eyebrow at her. 

“You love me,” he said. She smiled. 

“I do.” 

They smiled at each other, and Rose leaned against the wall. “You have a plan?” she asked. 

“No,” the Doctor said, still smiling. She started to laugh. 

“Come on, then,” she said, holding her hand out. “Promise mine aren’t...” she moved forward, pressing her lips by his ear. “Clammy.” 

He looked at her like he was positively disgusted with her, and she burst out laughing. 

They made their way back to the rooms from earlier, and this time the Doctor looked at everyone’s hand, checking if their theory about what Ridgemont Entities was doing was correct. 

Every single person had a small bite mark like Rose on their hand. Rose frowned. 

“Well, at least we know we’re right. Human brains in a Sidekick…” she whispered. The Doctor’s eyes locked with her’s. 

“They must be the version I fought,” he said. “They are sacrificing humans like cattle. Torturing them to a life they didn’t ask for, a mere shell of their existence.” 

He was furious. 

Rose let him be. 

She was also pretty damn furious. 

They looked back at the body of the ninth person, a woman no more than 22, and the Doctor felt his jaw clench as he thought about how this was so close to being Rose’s fate. 

“Don’t do that to yourself,” she said. Their bond was still open, and she saw the image of her lying limp in his arms pass through his mind. 

“I can’t help it, Rose,” he said bitterly. She watched him, and felt the moment he put his block up. She decided not to push him, not yet. Not unless it got worse and she needed to. 

Her eyes trailed him as he began to pace, her ring pulsing to the rate of his double heartbeat, which was faster than usual. He stopped, taking a deep breath. Rose’s tongue traced her bottom lip in the way it does when she is thinking, and she leaned back. “We need more time.” 

“We can make that happen,” she said. He looked at her, immediately knowing what she meant. 

“It’s risky. They might wake up on board, they’ll be so many of them it might be too confusing,” he said. 

“We can erase their memory if we need to, yeah?” she said. He stared at her. 

How did she know _that?_

“Doctor, I’ve seen your mind,” she said. He shook his head. 

“Doesn’t mean you should have knowledge of how the universe works,” he said. 

“Vortex,” she added, tapping her temple. He clenched his jaw. He let out a breath and tried to refocus. He was letting the fear of losing her cloud his judgement. 

He had done so well at not letting that happen recently. He locked his chocolates with her hazel galaxies. “I’ll go get the TARDIS. Stay here, watch them, keep all of you safe.” 

“I love you,” she said. 

“I love you, too,” he told her, kissing her quickly before he ran out the door. 

Rose was a little worried about him, but she waited patiently for a few minutes until she heard the gentle hum of the TARDIS materializing in the hallway. She immediately opened the door. He was walking out at the same time, and they worked quickly, grabbing each body and bringing it into the TARDIS medbay. 

The TARDIS came to their aid as well, suddenly expanding the size of the infirmary and adding beds, also making it look like a hospital from Earth to help ease the transition when their subjects eventually awoke. 

Finally, many minutes later, they had all nine people ready to go, and Rose looked at the Doctor. Her Instincts began to tug at her, “The bug. What if it’s not the only one?” she asked. 

His eyes widened and he moved to the console, pressing some buttons. Rose watched. 

“Brilliant, Rose. Thank you,” he said. Their eyes locked, and she knew he was silently apologizing for shutting her out earlier. She smiled. 

“What are you doing?” she asked. 

“These microchips were a little more advanced than the ones in 2056. Those were standard chips, meant for mammals. These react to electrical currents in people’s heads - it’s how they knew if someone was cold enough for the chemical to react. If we cancel out that current in all the microchips - a massive sweep over the whole planet, it’ll deactivate every chip Ridgemont Entities has right now, and therefore every bug,” he said. “Actually, can you grab the chip from the lab?” 

She ran, returning moments later and handing it to him. He inserted it into a small compartment she didn’t realize was even there, and twisted a knob. The screen grew staticy, and after a moment, it flashed green. He then pulled the lever, entering the Vortex while they figured the rest out. 

“Done,” he said. He held his hand out, and she took it. He then pulled her closer, swiveling to face her, and wrapped her in a hug. She kissed the top of his head. “It’ll delay the process, again, but it won’t stop it.” 

“React to what we see, right?” she offered, quoting him from that night in 2056. He smiled softly. 

“Quite right,” he said. They stood silent for a moment, and Rose brushed his hair back. 

"We should go help them," she whispered, and squeezed his hand as they walked into the infirmary. The Doctor spent time getting vitals for each person. With the medical equipment and not just the sonic screwdriver doing a scan, he realized quickly that on paper, they appeared very much deceased.

“It’s so awful,” Rose mused, a disgusted tone lined in her voice.”Some sort of mad scientist thing-” 

“Yeah,” the Doctor said sadly. He didn’t say more, his anger over the entire situation bubbling in the pit of his stomach, and he kept his blocks up so Rose couldn’t feel it. Well, not all of it, at least. “Here, take these.” 

He tossed her some latex gloves, and she held them in her hand while she kept her eyes on him. He sat on the chair at the end of the line of beds and rubbed a hand over his face. “Electrical currents. That’s the key,” he said. 

“Like the microchips?” she asked. He nodded. 

“Right now, at least by appearance, they are all dead. A neurological scanner from anytime before the 45th century would read their activity as braindead, but you and I both know that’s not true. The sonic screwdriver showed us - they’re very active, very alive, it’s just...hidden. The currents aren’t lining up,” he said, tapping his foot on the ground. 

“So it’s like….” she trailed off, but then locked her eyes with the Doctor. “Mickey explained to me, once. When he would try to hack something - there was the code. One code that was the proper code, yeah? The code that actually made the file he was looking at work, but sometimes...sometimes the people who made that code didn’t want it to get hacked, so they set up alternate paths, alternate codes, things to throw the hacker off -” 

The Doctor’s face melted into realization as she spoke, and he immediately ran to the nearest human, scanning him. 

“Oh, Rose Tyler, that is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!” he shouted, grinning at her. “They set up decoy currents. Of course! It’s just a rewiring of the brain!” 

“How do we fix it?” Rose asked, running over to him. 

“Two steps. We need to remove the chemical from their system and then remove the decoys,” he said. He was smiling, and then looked at her, realizing just how much of a team they had truly become. 

It felt so full circle, to be working so intimately with her in this way. To go from not knowing what kind of man he was, to being the man he wanted to be for _her_. To be with her on Christmas. Three years after her face was the first face this face saw. 

He had known for a while, of course, just how much they relied on each other to save the universe, but bonding with her yesterday… well….

It was doing things to him. She was his companion. His best friend. His wife. His heart, soul, and mind. His Bad Wolf. His Woman of Time. His Impossible human. 

She was his equal, in practically every sense of the word. 

“Come here,” he whispered, and he wrapped her in a hug, kissing her hair. He gave her a squeeze and knew his insecurities were retreating, replaced by a genuine, overwhelming sense of gratitude that she was here. 

He suddenly felt that spark of hope he had for the last few months, and smiled when he felt his clock around her neck. He was determined to have forever with her. Whatever it took. 

He smiled at her, and kissed her, enveloped in her warmth. She kissed him back, her hands on his hearts and his on her cheeks, and he lowered his walls, nudging her mind a little. Her eyes glowed, letting him in, before returning to normal. He allowed her to feel all the things he had just felt. When he pulled away, there were tears trailing her cheeks, and she couldn’t speak. 

“I love you,” he told her. She choked on her laugh, and just shook her head. 

_I love you,_ she thought, unable to form words without sobbing. She put up her block, the comforting hum in her brain as she tried to calm her tears. The Doctor didn’t feel alarmed, though. He knew they were tears of joy. 

After a minute or two, he squeezed her hand. She let go, letting him race to the back of the medbay, searching for a mix of antidotes he could combine to remove the chemical from Arcadia from their brain. Rose moved to the scanner, pulling out a print out of the chemical breakdown the TARDIS crafted, and handed it to him. He took it silently, using it to double check he had the right materials, and moved to the table, setting up syringes as needed. 

Rose put the gloves on, and waited. 

They didn’t speak, but Rose kept checking their vitals with her sonic screwdriver, the device she knew would be more accurate, making sure everyone was still doing well while the Doctor worked. Her mind was spinning of thoughts of him, and she made sure to keep her blocks up so he wasn’t distracted. 

A few hours later, he turned to her. “You should eat something, love.” 

She smiled, noting the endearment. “You too.” 

They took a break for food, a quick mess of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, before they returned to work. 

Finally, the Doctor was finished. 

Over the next several minutes, he administered the proper dosages to each person. Rose watched in wonder as the blue on their lips began to fade. The Doctor’s hearts were beating rapidly as he began to check vitals. Rose checked too. 

Their hearts began to beat, slowly, but surely. Rose saw color begin to return to their cheeks, and she placed a hand on the man she was currently examining. He was still cold, but much warmer than he had been. 

“Oh, my god,” she whispered, and turned to the Doctor. He was moving, already going back to the first human, the man from the first room, and took a deep breath. The only way to reset the decoy would be to remove it with his mind. 

“Rose, keep your block up, okay?” he told her. She nodded. 

Even with the block, the gentle hum began to burn more than it had, and she had to sit. He moved, one by one, until each human’s brain had been reset. Rose felt her mind even out when he was done, and her eyes locked with his. 

He moved to her and sat down, linking their hands together. She squeezed his hand and leaned against his shoulder. He kissed her forehead, and they began to laugh. It started as a chuckle, but soon blossomed into an uncontrollable fit as relief washed over them. 

“How’s your head?” he finally asked her. 

“Fine,” she said, and closed her eyes when he kissed her again.

They waited for an hour, and Rose stayed in the infirmary, watching over everyone. The Doctor decided it would be better to repark the TARDIS back in Alaska. He was once again in the hallway on the Inn, arriving ten minutes after the time they left. They carefully wheeled every bed from the TARDIS back to their rooms, and the Doctor laid the humans back on their bed in the Inn, knowing they would awake soon, hopefully without any confusion where they were. 

It took an hour, just enough time for Rose and the Doctor to get everyone situated and TARDIS out of the hallway before the guests started to emerge. 

“Merry Christmas, mate!” Rose heard one call in the lobby as she and the Doctor pushed the door open, the bell welcoming them in. 

They smiled at each other. 

“Merry Christmas!” Rose called. The man, who Rose recognized from the first room, waved to her. 

They watched by the fire as the rest of the guests appeared, some commenting on how quickly Christmas snuck up on them, but they were all laughing and greeting each other. The Doctor’s eyes locked with Jerry, who suddenly appeared behind the counter, terrified. The guests said hello to him, and he just nodded curtly, unable to speak or move as they all headed toward the town to celebrate the holiday. 

The sun was just starting to disappear over the horizon, and the Doctor looked out the window, where the party the woman from the bakery mentioned was beginning. He returned to look at Jerry. 

“Here’s what you’re going to do,” he said. Jerry watched as he and Rose moved calmly toward him, and he just gaped at them. “Tell your boss, or whoever you report to, when they arrive tomorrow, that we stopped them. And that if they try this again, we will stop them. The human race is not a plaything for whatever experiments they want to run, got that?” 

Jerry opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it quickly. “How’d you do it?” he whispered. 

“We’re much, much smarter than you,” the Doctor said. Rose came up to stand next to him, and looked Jerry directly in the eyes. 

“Get out while you still can, Jerry,” she whispered. “They were trying to use human brains in the robots. You said you didn’t know how the prototype was being made, but that’s how. I don’t think they would spare you just because you’re an aid to them, if they absolutely needed to. Save yourself.” 

Jerry looked absolutely terrified, and the Doctor laced his hand in Rose’s. They gave Jerry one final look before turning away, and joining the party outside. 

The Doctor let the weight of the day go as he looked up and saw it was starting to snow. He smiled. 

“Happy birthday,” Rose said, snowflakes falling onto her cheeks. He looked at her in surprise, but then grinned. 

“I s’pose it is, isn’t it?” he replied, squeezing her hand. “Nothing else I’d rather want. Here with you, saving the universe. A Day in the Life of a Time Lord.” 

She smiled and moved to a cart by the patch of snow they played in the day before, and grabbed some hot cocoas. 

Kids were running, wearing snow gear, sliding in sleds down the hill to their left. Carols were playing through outdoor speakers that had been set up, and the woman from the bakery bounded up to the Doctor with a tray of gingerbread buscuits. For the first time all day, it felt like Christmas. 

“I saw all the guests arrive a little while ago, good as new. Did you help them?” she asked. 

“My wife and I, yeah,” he said, looking at Rose. The woman smiled. 

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re better, as well! I’m Abigail. You two are a real wonder. Here, I made these, wanted to give them to you to say thanks,” she said, and handed the tray over to Rose. 

“Rose,” she said, introducing herself as well. “That’s very kind, thank you.” 

The woman smiled. “Merry Christmas.”

“And you,” the Doctor added, grabbing a biscuit and taking a bite. They were still warm, and he winked at Rose as Abigail moved to another group standing nearby.

The sun was gone, replaced by twinkling stars and the lights draped between the buildings over their heads, and they watched as a tall tree in the middle of the square was lit, applause erupting around them. The multicolored bulbs reflected in Rose’s eyes as she looked at the Doctor, and he kissed her head, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. 

She leaned against him, and they watched their nine humans eat cake and cocoa, laughing with each other and dancing, blissfully unaware of the fate they almost succumbed to. 

“Just this once, everybody lives,” Rose whispered. He smiled and squeezed her to him. 

“Good Christmas, then?” he asked. 

“Oh yes,” Rose said, kissing him. "We do have Christmas with the Tyler's to get to, though." 

"Allons-y?" he asked, taking her hand. They took one last look at the humans they saved, and silently made their way back to the TARDIS, and onto the next adventure.


End file.
